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Wasatch County nonprofit, community events ring in holiday season

The Community Alliance for Main Street says the Heber City Old Fashioned Christmas will offer an opportunity to see Santa and his reindeer.
Malin Moberg/AP
/
AP
The Community Alliance for Main Street says the Heber City Old Fashioned Christmas will offer an opportunity to see Santa and his reindeer.

With the arrival of December, nonprofits, community organizations and businesses are stepping up to celebrate the season in Wasatch County.

Thanksgiving is in the rearview, skiers are on the mountains and decorations are going up all around - all of which means it's time for annual holiday events.

In Heber City, that includes the Old Fashioned Christmas celebration, which was canceled last year because of the pandemic.

At the Heber Bank Block Building at 6:30 p.m. Friday, there’ll be ice sculpting, face painting and treats like cookies and hot cocoa. There’ll also be opportunities to ride a Clydesdale wagon and meet Santa and his reindeer.

That’s all ahead of the tree-lighting ceremony and caroling at 8 p.m.

“It’s something that we do every year, and we change it up just a little bit. We’re expecting a big crowd to come,” says Nicole Ferguson of the Community Alliance for Main Street, the event sponsor. We’re trying to keep it a cool, just kind of low-key but old-fashioned Christmas, and then we’ll carol and have a tree lighting and have some hot chocolate and doughnuts. It’ll be fun.”

Also, local businesses will have tents with photo booths, games, popcorn and more, and Intensity Dance Team from Heber will perform.

Proceeds from donations to put on the Old Fashioned Christmas will go to local families to help out with holiday expenses.

“Those businesses, they’re paying a fee to do that, which will then go to those families,” Ferguson says. “So, watch for those businesses, because those businesses will be the ones that will support Christmas for the families that are coming out. So, nobody’s selling anything, it’s just kind of a charity thing that the businesses are giving back with.”

The Wasatch County Rec Center will host the fifth annual Heber Valley Community Clothing and Toy Exchange Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The day to drop off gently used clothing of all sizes and toys is Friday.

The rec center is at 345 West 600 South. For more information, people can call (435) 714-2792 or (660) 868-1338.

Other events this month are sponsored by the Christian Center of Park City, Wasatch Dance Center and the Insurance Center in Midway.

Through the Christian Center’s Operation Hope, Wasatch County schools will give $75 gift cards to help some families with expenses. The Christian Center is still accepting donations at ccofpc.org, and it's looking for volunteers to help with Operation Hope events in Heber City and Park City.

Instead of a Nutcracker performance this year, the Wasatch Dance Center is holding tea party events to benefit the Children’s Justice Center, which is a multi-service facility for juvenile abuse victims. Tickets are sold out, but the Dance Center is still accepting contributions and hopes to beat last year’s total of $20,000. For more information go to wasatchdance.com.

And the Insurance Center in Midway is hosting its first winter charity drive. It’s accepting new or gently used winter clothes to distribute to people who need them with the help of the Rotary Club. Also, it’s asking for new and unwrapped toys for local children’s gifts.

The Insurance Center is located at 506 East Main Street in Midway.

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